


Story by the Fire

by SociallyAwkwardFox (Maze_Runner_Fae)



Series: JayTim Week: Summer Edition 2017 [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fantasy story, Fluff, M/M, Story within a Story, relationship story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 04:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11616096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maze_Runner_Fae/pseuds/SociallyAwkwardFox
Summary: Campfires are meant for stories and there's no way he can deny his kids that.





	Story by the Fire

Jason poked through crackling flames with a stick to shift the burning wood around, then threw the stick in before he returned to his spot. The moment his butt touched the ground, his daughter shifted to curl up against his side and wrapped her small arms as far around him as they could go. She nuzzled her head contently against his side and let out a breathy sigh he could barely hear over the sounds of nature and the fire. Once he was settled against the log he was using as a backrest, he wrapped his large arm around her like he knew she wanted him to.

With his daughter safely tucked away, he looked up to see his son looking seconds away from falling asleep against Tim. His little head kept drooping, but he continued to snap it back up and force his tired eyes back open. After the long hike they took earlier, he wasn’t at all surprised the two of them were fighting to stay awake. When he looked up to meet his husband’s eyes, he felt warmth run through him at the love showing in them. It wasn’t directed at Jason, but at the little boy cradled carefully between his loosely crossed legs. It never ceased to amaze him how much love Tim had for two kids that weren’t even his.

“Papa.” Jason looked down at his daughter’s exhausted face. “Can we have a story?”

“What kind of story?”

His son’s sleepy voice was tinged with excitement. “A scary story! One with ghosts and goblins and scary stuff!”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. How about one with knights and magic?”

“Fighting?”

“Of course.”

“Dragons?”

“There can be.”

“Will it have a happy ending?” A bell-like voice dragged Jason’s attention down to his daughter and he bent his head down to give her forehead a kiss.

“Always.”

“How does it start?”

“The same way every good story does. Once upon a time, there lived a king and queen in a faraway kingdom. They both loved each other very much and all the people did, too. All, except one. In a haunted forest, an evil warlock that hated them plotted against them. He devised a plan that would ruin the kingdom. A plan, so sneaky, it took years to complete. The warlock put a curse on the queen that slowly drained her, until it was too late to do anything.”

Two little gasps filled the air, then his son’s curious voice filled the air. “What happened next?”

“Well, before the warlock’s curse was complete, the king and queen had two beautiful children. Both were loved and adored. When the queen died because of the curse, the youngest cried all night because he knew something was wrong. The king, children, and people were devastated by the loss and the king vowed to find the one responsible. So, he said he’d make whoever brought the responsible person to justice, incredibly rich and give them whatever else they might want.”

“Did someone find the warlock?”

“Not right away, but a young mage came to the king asking questions and promised to help. He told the king he knew who was responsible and he would do whatever it took to make sure it never happened to anyone else. The king was shocked by the young mage’s certainty, but he believed the mage would keep his word to him. As a sign of faith, the king promised to give the mage anything he might need to accomplish such a dangerous task. The mage thanked the king for his show of generosity, but told him he had to decline the offer. His own parents were taken from him by the evil sorcerer and he needed to do it without any help.”

“He went alone?”

“No. The king refused to let him go on his own. He insisted his two bravest knights come with him to help him with the dangerous monsters in the forest. After the mage finally agreed, they all left with nothing more than a few bags and a couple of horses to speed up their journey. For five days, they rode on horseback, until they reached the forest and departed with their steeds. The trek through the forest was long and hard. Several creatures attacked them and the plants sometimes came alive and tried to eat them up.”

“Plants don’t eat people! That’s silly, papa!”

“These plants did. They would bite and snap and attack, but they never got the three. Instead, they got all the way to the warlock’s hideout, only to find a huge dragon. You see, curses always come at a price and the warlock had done so many evil curses, that he got turned into a dragon! A huge, fire-breathing dragon!”

“How huge?”

“So huge, he was bigger than the trees! A dragon that size was impossible to kill alone, so the three had to work together to defeat him. The mage used his magic, one of the knights used his strength, and the other used his speed. It took hours of fighting, but they succeeded in defeating the dragon and immediately headed back to tell the king. He was so pleased by the news, they all were greatly rewarded and given positions in the king’s court. A party was held in their honor and everyone in the kingdom cheered for them.”

“Did the king ever fall in love again?”

“Madly in love. Since the young mage decided to stay in the king’s court, they got to know each other better and found they had much in common. They enjoyed each other’s company so much, they started spending all their free time together. It wasn’t until the king saw the mage with his children, he realized how in love with him he’d fallen. Not long after that, the two were married and spent the rest of their days in bliss. The end.”

Both his kids clapped for the story, but all of Jason’s attention was on the man sitting on the other side of the fire. His eyes held a gentle affection, that caused Jason’s heart to skip several beats. Tim stood with his son cradled carefully in his arms and rounded the fire to sit on the other side of Jason. He leaned against Jason’s side and looked up at him with the softest smile Jason could ever imagine gracing a person’s face.

“How’d you come up with that one?”

A chuckle left Jason’s mouth, then he leaned down to press a kiss to the tip of Tim’s nose. “I have a wild imagination.”

“I had no idea.”

“Well, you do now.”

Tim hummed in agreement. “I think it’s time for bed.”

“You’re probably right. We wore them out today.”

“I don’t think they’re the only ones.”

“Did your tiny legs make it hard on you?”

“Hush you.”

“Make me.” Despite his words, Jason leaned down to steal a quick kiss from Tim’s pliant lips that shut himself up for several seconds. “Want me to carry you to bed. It is our honeymoon.”

“Think you can carry all three of us at once?”

“No sweat.”

“How confident, but let’s not risk it. I’ll carry him and you get her.”

“Then I’ll carry you.”

“I don’t need you to carry me.”

“I’ve got to sweep the mage off his feet somehow!”

Tim’s adorable laugh filled the air, then he pushed up to kiss Jason. “Lovable dork.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)).


End file.
